1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for mounting pantyhose blanks which enables a pair of tubular knit pantyhose blanks to be supplied in a proper posture to stretch holder members of a crotch sewing machine.
FIG. 1(A) depicts a stereo-knit type pantyhose blank 1a to be used in pantyhose sewing operation. The pantyhose blank includes a panty portion 2, a leg portion 3 formed in continuation from the lower edge of the panty portion 2, and a toe portion 4 formed at the lower end of the leg portion 3, the blank being knit in tubular form. The panty portion 2 consists of a mesh-knit front portion 5, a plain-knit hip portion 6, and a top waist band 7, with its lower end formed as a run guard portion 8 which is connected to the leg portion 3. The hip portion 6 is a stereo-knit portion having a bulge.
FIG. 1(B) depicts a bikini-type pantyhose blank 1b consisting of a panty portion 2, a leg portion 3, a toe portion 4, and a waist band 7, wherein the panty portion 2 is formed from a coarse yarn of 30 to 40 denier, while the leg portion 3 is formed from a fine yarn of 12 to 18 denier. The panty portion 2 is so configured that the portion thereof which corresponds to the waist is short while, on the other hand, the portion which corresponds to the crotch is elongated.
FIG. 1(C) depicts a pantyhose blank 1c of the T-band type consisting of a panty portion 2, a leg portion 3, a toe portion 4, and a waist band 7, wherein the panty portion 2 has its crotch portion only formed from a coarse yarn as a vertically elongate belt-like portion 2a, the remaining portion thereof being formed from the same fine yarn as the leg portion 3.
To sew a pantyhose from such blanks, in the case of the stereo-knit type, as FIG. 2 shows, a pair of above described blanks 1a are used in such a way that panty portions 2, 2 of the blanks 1a, 1a are placed one over the other so that the superposed front portions 5 and hip portions 6 of the two panty portions 2, 2 are cut along a boundary line 9, the thus severed portions being sewn together along a seam 10. In this way, a pantyhose 11 is obtained as shown in FIG. 3(A).
In the case of the bikini type, as FIG. 3(B) shows, panty portions 2, 2 of a pair of blanks 1b, 1b are vertically cut with respect to a portion corresponding to the crotch, and the portions thus severed are sewn together along a seam 10, whereby a pantyhose 11 is obtained.
In the case of the T-band type, as FIG. 3(C) shows, belt-like portions 2a, 2a of a pair of blanks 1c, 1c are vertically cut and the thus severed portions are sewn together along a seam 10, whereby a pantyhose 11 is obtained.
For the purpose of sewing a pantyhose 11 from a pair of pantyhose blanks 1a, 1a; 1b, 1b; 1c, 1c (which hereinafter may sometimes be simply called "blanks"), an automatic pantyhose crotch sewing machine as taught in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 880791 has been widely employed.
Aforesaid automatic pantyhose crotch sewing machine will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 4. The automatic pantyhose crotch sewing machine 21 includes a horizontal carrier 22 driven for intermittent rotation and a plurality of stretch holder members 23 pivotally arranged in spaced apart relation on the carrier 22.
Each stretch holder member 23 comprises right and left arms 26, 26 with upper and lower pairs of holder plates 24, 24 and 25, 25, each pair consisting of right and left holder plates. Each pair of right and left holder plates is back and forth pivotable along the direction of movement of the carrier 22 so that the holder plates can stretch from and contract into their parallel contracted status according to opening/closing movement of the arms 26, 26. Each set of upper and lower holder plate pairs is such that the upper and lower pairs are movable toward and away from each other.
Individual stretch holder members 23 rotate clockwise in FIG. 4 through intermittent rotation of the carrier 22 and are sequentially caused to stop at operating stations (I) through (VI) provided on the track of their rotational movement.
The first operating station I is a position for mounting blanks onto stretch holder member 23 such that blanks are tentatively fitted on upper and lower pairs of holder plates 24, 24 and 25, 25 respectively.
While each stretch holder member 23 fitted with blanks is travelling from the second operating station (II) to the third operating station (III), the blanks which have been tentatively fitted by a positioning device 27 on upper and lower pairs of holder plates 24, 24 and 25, 25 are pulled rearward and, in the case of stereo-knit type blanks, the waist band 7 and run guard portion 8 of each blank are positioned as predetermined. At the third operating station (III), inner thigh portions of the panty portions 2 are cut by a cutting member 28 along a boundary line 9. At the fourth operating station (IV), the horizontal pair of holder plates are stretched apart from each other so that cut edges of the inner thigh portions of the blanks which are held in a superposed condition are exposed to the outside.
In the case of bikini type blanks 1b, positioning is made with respect to a vertically central position of each thigh portion, and in the case of T-band type blanks 1c, positioning is made with respect to a vertically central position of each belt-like portion 2a. Then, respective portions so positioned are vertically cut and then exposed to the outside.
Next, when stretch holder member 23 has moved to a fifth operating station (V), the cut edges of the inner thigh portions of the blanks which are exposed to the outside are sewn together by a sewing machine 29.
Further, upon movement of the stretch holder member 23 to a sixth operating station (VI), the blanks which have been sewn together are removed from the stretch holder member 23, and the horizontal holder plate pair of the stretch holder member 23 return to their initial parallel status from the stretched status, thus moving back to the first operating station (I).
In order to sew a pantyhose from a pair of blanks it is necessary that, in the case of stereo-knit type blanks, the blanks 1a, 1a be mounted on a stretch holder member 23 in such a condition that the waist bands 7, run guard portions 8 and boundary lines 9 of the blanks are properly positioned in alignment. Likewise, in the case of bikini type blanks 1b, as well as T-band type blanks 1c, the blanks be mounted on a stretch holder member 23 in such condition that the vertically central portions along which the blanks are to be cut are properly positioned in alignment. Such mounting operation has been performed by manual labor of the operator.
However, the process of manually fitting a pair of blanks on a stretch holder member requires labor and time for the positioning involved, resulting in low sewing efficiency.